Air Transat pilots have ratified a five-year employment contract, marking the airline group’s first negotiated agreement in more than a decade. Its 725 pilots are represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA).
The ratification confirms a deal first reached as a tentative agreement on 09DEC. 2025, as reported by Open Jaw. Reached just hours before a potential strike deadline, the agreement narrowly averted disruptions to holiday travel.
Of the 98% of eligible pilots who voted, 91% approved the contract. The agreement is retroactive to 01MAY, 2025, and runs through 30APR, 2030.
According to a report last month in The Globe and Mail, citing unnamed sources, pilots secured substantial gains in compensation and working conditions. The deal includes pay increases ranging from 49% to 67% over the five-year term, with the most senior captains expected to earn about $387,000 annually by 2029. Senior first officers would earn roughly $238,000.
The contract also delivers improved fatigue-management provisions, quality-of-life enhancements, and a faster progression to top-pay cockpit positions.
“Our pilots came together with professionalism and purpose to secure an agreement that reflects who we are and the essential role we play in our airline’s success,” said Capt. Bradley Small, Chair of ALPA’s Air Transat Master Executive Council. “While it was unfortunate that this level of pressure was required, it was our unity that ultimately delivered results.”
The ratification follows months of intense negotiations and pilot action, including coordinated informational pickets at Toronto and Montreal bases in early December. Pilots also opened a strike centre and issued a 72-hour strike notice on 07DEC, backed by an overwhelming mandate.
“For years, Air Transat pilots have gone above and beyond through industry uncertainty and other challenges no one could have predicted,” said Small. “Through dedication, professionalism, and an unwavering commitment to safety, our pilots helped carry this airline forward. This agreement recognizes that contribution and the value pilots bring every day.”
Founded in 1931, ALPA represents more than 80,000 pilots at 42 airlines in the US and Canada.
